Golf ball retriever



Feb. 16, 1965 J. KAANEHE 3,169,790

cow BALL RETRIEVER Filed May 13, 1963 INVENTOR John Kounehe ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,169,790 GOLFBALL RETRHEVER John Kaanehe, 1516 Kam. 4tin'Road, Honolulu, Hawaii Filed May 13, 196$,Ser. No. 280,765 2 Claims. (Cl. 294-19) cordingly an object of my invention is to provide a novel golf ball retriever, whereby a golf ball may be readily retrieved from normally inaccessible places. 7

Another object is to provide a golf ball retriever shaped and formed like a golf club with a hollow head and balanced so as to scoop up the ball with ease and efiiciency into the confines of the hollow head of the retriever.

Another object is-to provide a novel magazine type golf ball retriever whereby several golf balls may be successively scooped up and collected in the hollow body of the retriever.

Another object is to provide a novel golf ball retriever formed with a head portion simulating a golf club with a perforated bottom portion adapted to prevent water, sand or dirt from accumulating in the bail retriever head portion, whereby golf balls may be efliciently retrieved from under water, sand or loose dirt areas.

Still another object is to provide in a golf ball retriever formed with a hollow head portion having a side opening therein with a scoop-up edge or sill and a ball 7 retainer means adapted to prevent the balls retrieved with each scoop-up motion of the retriever from rolling out of the head portion, until desired by the user.

Yet another object is to provide an economically fabricated ball retriever with a hollow head of lightweight and durable material shaped for example like a standard number one driver.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will now be more fully described and particularly defined-in the appended claims.

In the drawing, wherein like parts are given like reference numerals and are thus identified throughout the following-description:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of my club-type golf ball retriever taken of the front open ball retriever side thereof;

FiGURE 2 is a perspectiveview of the rear side of the ball retriever; v

FIGURE 3 shows a golfer in thelact of retrieving a golf ball with my novel ball retriever club; and

FIGURE 4 is a section view taken on' the line of FIGURE 1.

Referring. in detail to the' drawing and first' 'with re- 7 in a socket, not shown, by reinforcing cord or'gfut wiridings 12, as is well-known in the manufacture of golf,

club drivers.

This extension or shank 11 is formed as a part ofthe hollow retriever head portion 13, which head: portion is preferably made ofplastic or fiber-wood although'itjimay may be used to retrieve golf 3,1h9fl9h Patented Feb. 16, 1965 be formed of'suitable reinforced composition materials or light-weight metal.

The head portion 13 is in effect a shell having a rounded closed rear side 14, see FIGURE 2, and a front relativelyrfiat side 15 formed with a ball retriever opening '16 large enough to receive a golf ball and extending for the greater portion of the front side 15 of the head portion 13; The head portion is formed with a bottom portion 17, which bottom portion is preferably made with a plurality of perforations 13.

The bottom portion 17 may be formed as an integral part of the shell-like head portion 13 and of the same material or it may be in the form of a separate perforated plate of different material, such as aluminum and be suitably combined with the shell of plastic material from which the head portion 13 may be made.

The bottom portion 17 in either event is formed with a ball scoop entrance sill :19 which curves inwardly toward the rear interior wall 29 of the hollow head portion 13. Slanting forwardly and upwardly at each end of the sill 19 are spaced side guide edges 21 and 22, which cooperate with the ball scoop sill 1% in facilitating the ball scoop-up action with each ball retrieve operation.

A ball retainer means, such as an elongated bar 24 is supported on the bottom portion 17 rearward of the ball scoop sill 19. The bar 24 may be of metal and extends longitudinally in the head portion 13 in substantially parallel relation to the sill 19. Also the bar 24 is tapered in cross section in the provision of a longitudinal feathered edge 25 facing toward the longitudinal edge of the ball scoop sill 19. Thus, as a ball is retrieved by a swing of the club-like retriever to provide the scoop action thereof it rolls freely over the feathered edge of the bar 24 into the hollow head portion 13 and is then retained against possible roll out-by the nonfeathered opposite side of the bar.

The hollow head portion 13 is made sufliciently large to receive and hold several golf balls at one time, for example, as many as five balls.

Manner of use The manner in which the golf ball retriever is used is believed obvious from the foregoing description, for example, golf balls are retrieved simply and easily by swinging the retriever toward a golf ball B to provide a scooping action, see FIGURE 3. by this action a golf ball is scooped up in an upward swinging motion of the retriever by the golfer to the left and with a naturally resulting tilting of the head portion 13 to the right so theball will roll easily into the retriever over the feathered edge 25 of the sill 19. p

Thus. I have provided a novel natural swing actuated golf ball retriever, whereby no steeping to; pick up balls is required. Also, there is provided a retriever which mails "from traps, such as water, sand and the like and places where the golf ball may be inaccessible without a ball retriever.'

7 Without further description it is believed that the advantages of the-present-rinvention over the prior art are apparentand while only one embodiment of the same is illustrated, it is to, be expressly understood that the same is not limited thereto as various changes maybe made in the combinationand arrangement 'of'the parts illustrated, as will now likely appearto others an'dthose skilled the art; For a definition of-thescope or limits 1 a Thus, as illustrated,

of the invention, reference should be? had to the gappended claims. i

What is claimed is: 1 e

lfMeansfor retrieving round objects comprising a handle, a club-shaped hollow head having top, bottom, front and rear sides, an opening in the front side thereof, said bottom vbeing of perforated sheet material, an object engaging sill defining the lower edge of said opening, object retainer means mounted on the interior surface of the bottom of the head extending substantially parallel with respect to said sill, said last-named means having a feathered edge facing said sill, and spaced ball outwardly diverging guide means projecting forward of said sill, said sill being curved inwardly and being rearward of said guide means. g

2. Means for retrieving round objects as described iii claim 1, wherein said object retainer means is an elongated bar. 7

References Cited by the Examiner 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,523,270 1/25 Middleton 294 19.1 2,094,766 10/37 Costello 213 93 2,760,807 8/56 Watson 294-191 10 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,322 11/01 Great Britain.

SAMUELVF, COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 15 ERNEST A. FALEER, J11, Examiner. y 

1. MEANS FOR RETRIEVING ROUND OBJECTS COMPRISING A HANDLE, A CLUB-SHAPED HOLLOW HEAD HAVING TOP, BOTTOM, FRONT AND REAR SIDES, AN OPENING IN THE FRONT SIDE THEREOF, SAID BOTTOM BEING OF PERFORATED SHEET MATERIAL, AN OBJECT ENGAGING SILL DEFINING THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID OPENING, OBJECT RETAINER MEANS MOUNTED ON THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAD EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH RESPECT TO SAID SILL, SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS HAVING A FEATHERED EDGE FACING SAID SILL, AND SPACED BALL OUTWARDLY DIVERGING GUIDE MEANS PROJECTING FORWARD 